The present invention relates to power and telecommunications outlets, and more particularly to power and telecommunications outlets adapted for use in walls, partitions, and furniture of modular construction.
Numerous walls, partitions and furniture items are provided with power and telecommunications outlets. In the case of wall systems, the demand for power and telecommunications outlets that can be quickly and easily installed is significant (regardless of whether the walls are interior or exterior or are load bearing or non-load bearing). In the case of partitions and furniture, similar demand exists in order to reduce manufacturing and assembly time and to reduce the cost of the partitions and furniture.
Nevertheless, few existing outlet designs offer the versatility desired by consumers. For example, a large amount of home and office furniture, school and lab equipment, and partition and wall systems are more modular and portable in design. With increasing modularity, the routing and installation of power and telecommunications lines within such furniture, equipment, and partition and wall systems represents an ever-increasing burden for assemblers, installers, and users.
Typically, power and telecommunications outlets for shelving and display assemblies, home and office furniture, school and lab equipment, and partition and wall systems (hereinafter collectively referred to as xe2x80x9cfurniture and wall systemsxe2x80x9d) are not readily positionable in different locations to accommodate different arrangements of the furniture and walls. Most existing power and telecommunications outlets are rigidly attached to particular locations on the furniture and walls, and cannot be moved from their attached positions.
In many furniture and wall systems, power and telecommunications outlets are permanently mounted to the furniture or wall or to a frame thereof. In other furniture and wall systems, each power or telecommunications outlet is removably attached to one location or can be attached (removably or otherwise) to only a small number of locations on the furniture or wall. Depending upon the setup and arrangement of the furniture and/or walls, this lack of versatility can present a problem for users who desire to plug devices into the outlets. Unless the devices are near the power and telecommunications outlets, one or more wires, extension cords, cables, phone cords, or other power and telecommunications lines (referred to herein collectively as xe2x80x9cpower and telecommunications extension linesxe2x80x9d) are needed to connect the devices to the outlets. In some cases, the distances spanned by the power and telecommunications extension lines are fairly large, causing potential tripping or snagging hazards and resulting in an unsightly work or living area.
Some furniture and wall systems having power and telecommunications outlets do permit limited adjustability of the outlets. However, this adjustability is typically poorly-suited for many arrangements of the walls, furniture, and for the components and accessories intended for use with the walls and furniture systems. Despite the fact that the outlets can be placed in different positions, the resulting outlet locations are often still awkward relative to the components, accessories, and devices used with the furniture and wall systems.
For example, a modular shelving unit typically includes a plurality of shelves that can be positioned in many different arrangements. The modular shelving unit can support devices that need to be plugged into the power and telecommunications outlets. However, the high degree of adjustability permitted by many modular shelving units is not matched by the relatively small number of power and telecommunications outlet positions. Therefore, power and telecommunications extension lines are needed or devices supported by the shelving units must be re-positioned (thereby limiting the range of uses for the shelving systems).
Furniture and wall system designs are typically limited by a number of other considerations, including without limitation the overall cost of the systems, space constraints, and ease of manufacture and assembly. A furniture or wall system with more versatile power and telecommunications outlets preferably would not be significantly more expensive to manufacture and assemble, would not limit modularity and portability of the system (if these features are desired), and would not consume significant space.
There is also a need to expedite full inspection of power routings. These full inspections are required under some municipal building codes. A modular power outlet, which can be quickly and easily disassembled and reassembled, is desirable so that a full power routing inspection is practical at any time. The inspector may visit the building site.
In light of the problems and limitations described above, a need exists for power and telecommunications outlets in furniture and wall systems that can be placed in a wide range of positions for increased accessibility and connectivity, are readily adaptable to different furniture or wall arrangements without sacrificing system modularity and portability (if such features are desired), do not significantly add to system size or complexity, and are relatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.
The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for positioning power or telecommunications outlets in furniture and wall systems. The apparatus cooperates with a modular construction system, for example, to repositionably support a cable suitable for transmitting telecommunications data or electrical power. The apparatus includes a channel that is sized for receiving the cable. An outlet box is mounted on the channel. Means for removably attaching the apparatus to the modular construction system are provided.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus can be removably attached to the modular construction system in a plurality of positions, one of the positions being laterally displaced and/or inverted with respect to another of the positions. In another preferred embodiment, the modular construction system includes a base and a support frame that forms a plurality of mounting positions and is connected to the base.
In still another preferred embodiment, the invention is a modular conduit for use with a modular construction system forming mounting locations to repositionably support a cable suitable for transmitting at least one of telecommunications data and electrical power. The modular conduit includes an elongated channel that has two ends and a substantially open side for providing access to the interior of the channel, and is sized for receiving a cable suitable for transmitting at least one of telecommunication data and electrical power. A removable cover fits over at least a portion of the open side for restricting access to the interior of the channel. An outlet box is mounted on the channel. The modular conduit is removably attached to the mounting locations so that the modular conduit and the modular construction system cooperatively and repositionably support the cable.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the invention is a work station including a repositionable power outlet and/or data connection port. The work station includes a base and a support frame forming a plurality of mounting positions. The support frame is connected to the base. The work station also includes a modular conduit that is repositionably attachable to the support frame at the mounting positions. The modular conduit includes a conduit or channel, an outlet and a cable suitable for transmitting at least one of telecommunications data and electrical power.
The invention is also a method for repositionably supporting a cable in a modular construction system forming a plurality of mounting locations. The method includes providing a modular construction system forming a plurality of mounting locations, and removably attaching an elongated channel to the system at one of the mounting locations. The channel has two ends and a substantially open side for providing access to the interior of the channel. An outlet box is mounted on the channel. The interior of the outlet box may communicate with the interior of the channel. A cable suitable for transmitting at least one of telecommunication data and electrical power is positioned within the interior of the channel. An outlet box is electrically connected to the cable. The outlet box is suitable for transmitting at least one of telecommunication data and electrical power.
Although the present invention can be applied to any shelving and display assembly, home and office furniture, school and lab equipment, and partition and wall system as mentioned above, the following description and accompanying drawings are with reference to shelving assemblies by way of example only. Also, the present invention can be employed in any wall system, but can be used with particular advantage in interior wall systems and in wall systems that are modular in nature.
The shelving assembly described below and illustrated in the figures is modular, and has shelves that can be adjusted to multiple positions. The present invention can be employed with other types of shelving units as desired. Also, the following description and accompanying drawings are with reference to power apparatus according to the present invention, and are presented by way of example only. The present invention finds application with respect to any type of power and telecommunications outlet.
Regardless of the manner in which the apparatus can be employed to position outlets in desired locations (i.e., whether mountable on the support frame in different manners and/or whether the outlet can be releasably secured in different locations along the channel), the apparatus in some embodiments of the present invention can be mounted in multiple locations on the support frame. By way of example, a vertically-oriented apparatus can be releasably secured in multiple horizontal positions on the support frame, or a horizontally-oriented apparatus can be releasably secured in multiple vertical positions on the support frame. In some embodiments, the outlet of the apparatus is not adjustable along the channel and the apparatus can be mounted in only one orientation on the support frame. However, even in such embodiments, the ability to mount the apparatus to different positions (e.g., vertical or horizontal) on the support frame provides significant advantages over existing apparatus designs.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims, and drawings.